Abe Koogler Selected Plays

Book excerpt: “Koogler's characters are earnest, idiosyncratic, and suspicious of hierarchy. Often bitingly funny, Koogler's plays...reveal larger truths about the economic and racial systems under which we all live.” (The Yale Review) Abe Koogler writes darkly comedic plays about ordinary Americans confronting larger political and economic forces, from small town residents grappling with environmental change to slaughterhouse workers trying to retain their humanity. Although grounded in realism, Koogler's plays often incorporate imaginary elements and heightened or musical language, creating moving and memorable works of art. In his first play collection, Koogler's work is brought together and introduced by the author, offering an overview of his range in style, from the naturalistic to the absurd. Deep Blue Sound: “If anything links all of these people, it is an aching loneliness. That they are trying to figure out what happened to orcas, which are remarkably social animals, is among the nice touches that Koogler has sneaked into his group portrait.” (New York Times) Fulfillment Center: “steeped in a luminous and illuminating empathy that feels both uncommon and essential right now.” (New York Times) Aspen Ideas: A fast-paced and darkly comedic thriller about an annual conference of the famous and well-connected, held high in the Colorado mountains. Kill Floor: “Melancholy and moving. A very closely, and often quite beautifully, observed character study.” (Chicago Tribune) Advance Man: Ripe with experimental language, movement and absurdism, a surprising comedy exploring what it means to be a politically engaged American.